1. You lose your libido

Yes, when it comes to your sex drive it seems it's a case of "use it or lose it."

"For some people who refrain from sex, they begin to feel more sluggish, with less vitality and hunger for sex," Sari Cooper, LCSW, certified sex therapist told Reader's Digest .

"Out of sight out of mind is how some of my clients describe the scenario."

This is not the case for everyone, however. Some people find the idea of sex even more desirable when having a dry spell.

2. Your vaginal walls may weaken

This mainly applies to women entering the menopause.

Sari explains, "Without regular frequency of intercourse as you get older the walls of your vagina thin out and can lead to painful sex when you finally get back into the sack."

To this end, the North American Menopause Society even recommend having regular penetrative sex to help vaginal health during menopause.

3. You may experience a loss of lubrication

Another side-effect which applies principally to older women, apparently the vagina struggles to get lubricated when you start having intercourse after a hiatus.

What causes this - as well as thinning vaginal walls - is a lack of the hormone, oestrogen.

"If you take a young woman who's 20 or 30 years old she’s going to have plenty of oestrogen around to make sure those tissues stay healthy, elastic, and lubricated when she’s not having sex," explains Dr.Lauren Streicher.

"If you take someone who's 60 and has no estrogen, she has lost that piece of it."

To mitigate the combined effects of a lack of sex and ageing, Sari advises the following.

"The vaginal lubrication lessens with age, and if you're not being turned on through self-pleasure, erotic books, videos, or a partner, the juice can begin to lessen more quickly."

4. Your period pain may get worse

Not having sex can worsen period pains (Image: Getty Images)

Undeniably, it's women who are coming worse off.

It may seem counter-intuitive, but having sex during your period can alleviate menstrual cramp.

"The uterus is a muscle and many women will actually have a uterine contraction when they orgasm, which will cause the blood to expel more quickly, which will in turn decrease menstrual cramps," Dr Streicher explains.

"Also, there may be an increase in endorphins, which also will help with menstrual cramps."

5. HOWEVER - you lessen your risk of getting a UTI

Finally, that silver lining.

Unsurprisingly, not only do you dramatically decrease your chances of being infected with an STD, but also UTIs too.

Because of the spread of bacteria which can occur "It's intercourse that's responsible for potentially increasing the risk of recurrent bladder infections," says Dr Streicher.

Eighty percent of UTIs in premenopausal women occur within 24 hours of having sex, and as the journal American Family Physician stated, "Frequency of sexual intercourse is the strongest predictor of recurrent urinary tract infections."